In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease. In 1998 I founded The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore!, and I am the co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity.

By Scott Adams

Published on 06/25/2003

Celiac.com 06/25/2003 - The Neuropathy
Association -- On May 27, 2003 a link between Peripheral Ne

Celiac.com 06/25/2003 - The Neuropathy
Association -- On May 27, 2003 a link between Peripheral Neuropathy and
Celiac Disease was reported by physicians at the Weill Medical College
of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to
The Neuropathy Association. Peripheral Neuropathy, which affects up to
20 million people in the U.S., can cause pain, numbness and weakness in
the arms and legs and, when left untreated, can progress to debilitation.

In an article published in todays Neurology,
five percent of all patients with neuropathy were found to also have celiac
disease, which results from an allergy to gluten in bread and other wheat
products, and is estimated to affect one out of every 150 people. Based
on the diagnosis, we are now able to treat a substantial number of patients
with neuropathy who previously could not be helped, said Dr. Russell
Chin, the first author of the paper.

In addition, patients with celiac disease
tended to have a type of neuropathy called small fiber neuropathy
which often causes severe burning, stinging, and electric-shock like pains,
but is often misdiagnosed as it is undetectable with routine tests used
by neurologists to diagnose neuropathy. Approximately 16% of all patients
with small fiber neuropathy were found to have celiac disease. Many
of our patients were told that there was nothing physically wrong with
them, and were advised to seek psychiatric care for presumed anxiety or
depression, noted Dr. Norman Latov, Medical and Scientific Director
of The Neuropathy Association, and senior author of the study. You
too would be anxious and depressed if you were in constant pain, and no-one
believed you or offered to help.

Celiac disease is known to run in families,
and in several of the cases, other family members were affected. Some
were erroneously diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited
form of neuropathy due to genetic mutations. Not all familial cases of
neuropathy are due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, noted Dr. Latov. Peripheral
neuropathy can also occur in association with other causes for neuropathy
that run in families, such as diabetes or autoimmunity, for example.

The article also notes that one third of
the celiac neuropathy patients did not have any gastrointestinal symptoms
such as malabsorption, abdominal pain or diarrhea, which are associated
with celiac disease. What many people dont realize, notes
Dr. Peter Green, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at the New York
Presbyterian Hospital, and co-author of the paper, Is that 50% of
adults with celiac disease have few or no gastrointestinal symptoms, and
present with other manifestations such as anemia, or as in this case,
peripheral neuropathy. Treatment consists of eliminating gluten
or wheat containing foods in the diet.

At present, patients with neuropathy are
not routinely tested for celiac disease. Based on the new study, however,
patients and physicians should be aware that anyone with unexplained neuropathy
or pain should be tested for celiac disease regardless of whether or not
they have the classic gastrointestinal symptoms.

About The Neuropathy Association:
The Neuropathy Association is a public, non-profit, charitable organization,
founded by patients with neuropathy and their friends and families, whose
mission is to provide support and education, and fund research into the
causes and treatments of neuropathy. It is a rapidly growing, broad based organization, with over 70,000 members, and over 200 support groups
and chapters throughout the US. For more information about peripheral
neuropathy and The Neuropathy Association, visit our web site at http://www.neuropathy.org,
or contact us at 60 E. 42nd St, Suite 942, New York, N.Y. 10165, Tel:
212-692-0662, e-mail: info@neuropathy.org.